Page 47 of Seductive Architect
He reached into his pocket and produced his book of firsts. Cracking it open, he fished out a pen. He flipped through the pages. If I were to start a similar project, I don’t know if I’d be able to keep track. Hudson had meticulously documented his life. He reached the back of the book and scribbled two more lines.
“First time I discovered my brain is a supercomputer.”
Was that humor? Did that mean he’d be okay? I wonder if Kiki had an opening for a new client? If she could convince me to access my emotions, she’d easily be able to help Hudson with his new reality.
“What’s the second?”
“First time somebody apologized for hurting my feelings.”
It stung. At least he hadn’t left it as, “First time somebody hurt my feelings.”
He closed the book before turning toward me. He winced, moving slowly. When he took my hand, I secretly hoped he’d put it back on his chest. He gave it a quick squeeze. As much as I wanted to climb on top of him, I would have settled for wiping the sadness from his eyes.
“Thank you.”
“Not what I was expecting.”
He snorted. “This is going to take a while to process. But I’d rather know the truth. I just—” He let out a long sigh. “I wish I knew what it all meant. You know?”
I let go of his hand and cupped his cheeks. I gave him a quick peck on the nose. “You want to know the meaning of life? If I couldn’t hear the algorithms churning, you’d be the most human person I know. In this case… I think I can help answer your question.”
I stood up, taking his hand, pulling him to his feet. He groaned, and I tried to take it easy. Throwing his arm over my shoulder, we walked across the room. I was about to do the unthinkable. We stood in front of the door to my study. I was the only eyes to see what hid on the other side.
I pushed the door open.
“Welcome to my sanctuary.”
He let go, stepping into the room. It’d take me days to explain everything on the wall. Hudson reached out, touching his photo, following the red string. When hereached Senator McAfee, he froze. There’d be a lot of note cards added before the end of the night. The senator, being a super villain, was trying to break into Synergy, which was another piece of the puzzle.
“I have a question,” he asked.
“Ask away,” I said. I joined him, eyeing the connection between Hudson, Synergy, and the senator.
Hudson pulled the red pushpin out of his photo, holding it in front of my face. “You couldn’t find a better picture?”
“I could have used the one from your dating profile.”
He grinned. “You saw that, huh?”
“I prefer the ones where you’re smiling.” His ID photo might be low quality, but I thought it did a good job of summing him up. When he didn’t say anything, my cheeks turned red, fearing I would embarrass myself.
“Okay, run me through everything.”
“The wall?”
He nodded. “You’re not the only one who wants answers.”
I glanced down, expecting the swelling in my chest to break through my ribs. Did the human heart really grow in moments of admiration? I’d have to look that up when I was alone. I expected a smart-ass comment, not for him willing to dive into these hidden realities. First, I’d have to explain my system, then my color coding, and the weird cyphers I used for each fact. Or…
I reached for his hand, my pinky brushing against his knuckles. Without turning his head, his hand moved, clasping mine. I didn’t know what was going through his head, but I wanted him to know I’d be here if he needed me. It was the least I could do after blowing up his existence.
“Okay. It all started with an illegal wiretap…”
I shot upright. Jumping out of bed, I flicked my wrist. The gauntlets appeared, already humming as they powered up. It’d be a couple of days until I could repair the suit, but I wasn’t sleeping without protection.
“Who’s there?”
When I glanced down, I noticed the briefs. Ineverslept in clothes. It took a moment before I remembered falling asleep on the couch with Hudson. He carried me to bed as if I weighed nothing and stripped me down. When he turned to leave, I mumbled about flannel PJs in my bottom drawer and to get into bed. There wasn’t an impression in bed, and I couldn’t remember if he had climbed in before I fell asleep.
